Kinetics of In growth on Si(100)2x1 surface at low coverage - STM study

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used for studying nucleation and growth of 1-dimensional indium islands (chains) at coverage below 0.5 ML on the reconstructed Si(100)2x1 surface at room temperature (RT). In-vivo measurements-direct observations of growth during deposition-provided data on growth kinetics and showed a substantial role of C-defects at adsorption of metal atoms. Density of the metal chains and distribution of the chain lengths were obtained for various amounts of deposited indium. The length of the indium chains was specified with atomic accuracy. The real time observations showed that surface mobility of indium atoms at RT is probably not entirely restricted by the " forbidden zones" accepted in previous growth models.